We've come a long way from November 2, 1984. Looking North East, this picture shows The Lakes as it was being excavated. You can see the basic shape of The Lakes with Crystal Water Way in the foreground and Lake East Drive curving around the top. At this point Sahara Avenue had not even been paved yet.

This panoramic photo was taken on December 17, 1984. It faces East and shows the excavation of the lake. You can also see the strip skyline as it looked back then. The downtown skyline is on the upper left side.

The original developers (Ken Sullivan, Al Collins, Marty Collins and Russ Dorn) celebrating the ground breaking on November 8, 1984. Note the map showing the original plan for The Lakes looks quite different from today. Originally there were two lakes planned... hence the name "The Lakes".

Russ Dorn and Al Collins, November 8, 1984

An aerial photo taken of The Lakes in 1986. As you can see, the lake was filled and the first part of Lakeview, the apartment complex and the Bluffs had all been started. Sahara Avenue and a little bit of Durango had been paved.